KAP no longer fits: Corbett stands down

EVERARD HIMMELREICH25 Jan 2013, 4 a.m.

KATTER’S Australian Party (KAP) candidate for Wannon Tess Corbett yesterday dropped her political ambitions after igniting controversy with comments that drew parallels between homosexuality and paedophilia.

KAP no longer fits: Corbett stands down

Tess Corbett has dropped her political ambitions after sparking controversy.

KATTER’S Australian Party (KAP) candidate for Wannon Tess Corbett yesterday dropped her political ambitions after igniting controversy with comments that drew parallels between homosexuality and paedophilia.

Party president Max Menzel confirmed Ms Corbett had withdrawn her application for endorsement in Wannon.

“Tess has contacted me this morning and has offered to withdraw her application and I have accepted her request, on behalf of the party”, Mr Menzel said.

“Tess has great ability and the recent incident is regrettable.

“KAP cannot be used by any member to focus on issues of their own pre-occupation.”

KAP national director Aidan McLindon said the party wanted to focus “on the restoration of prosperity for all Australians — retirees, mums, farmers, manufacturers and families, drowning under the weight of increasing costs and charges”.

Ms Corbett told The Standard yesterday she had offered to withdraw her candidacy for KAP because she did not want to “bring any drama on the party”.

She blamed the media for the controversy over her comments, saying it had only wanted to talk about her views on moral issues rather than political and social issues.

Ms Corbett also took a parting shot at member for Wannon Dan Tehan, who had described her comments as “deplorable” and called on KAP leader Bob Katter to condemn her comments.

Ms Corbett said Mr Tehan’s attack on her was hypocritical because he had voted against a parliamentary move to legalise gay and lesbian marriage.

Ms Corbett drew criticism for saying homosexuality and paedophilia went against Christian principles and fell into the same moral category.

She feared paedophiles would fight for their activities to become legal in a similar way that homosexuals had fought for the legalisation of homosexuality

She put homosexuals and paedophiles “in the same category, as moral issues” while KAP was principally concerned with political and social issues.

Mr Katter was subsequently quoted in the media as saying Ms Corbett’s statements were “stupid” and the party was not interested in the issues she had raised.

He told Fairfax Media yesterday that candidates should focus on the main policy battles.

Ms Corbett had also told The Hamilton Spectator that she did not “want gays, lesbians to be working in my kindergarten”.

Those comments triggered another controversy when Queensland KAP senate candidate hopeful Bernard Gaynor, tweeted his support, saying he did not want gay people teaching his children.

That tweet and subsequent comments by Mr Gaynor prompted KAP to say it “will not be used” by him.

Mr Katter refused to comment on the controversy involving Mr Gaynor, but said he backed the statement from his party.